Benny Morris

Benny Morris is an Israeli historian born in 1948.

It is one of the most influential representatives of the new historians, a group of academics which called in question certain visions of the israélo-Palestinian Conflit.

Biography

The parents of Morris emigrate in Palestine in 1947. They belong to the movement Hashomer Hatzair and settle in the Kibboutz Ein HaHoresh in the south of Haïfa where in 1948 is born Benny.

Later, his/her parents belong to the founders of the Ya' kibbutz On located on the grounds of Birwe, an Arab village whose Arab inhabitants were expelled during the Guerre of Palestine of 1948, but they move as of 1949 with Jerusalem.

His/her father Ya' akov is named diplomat and in 1957 the family moves with New York where it resides during 4 years then again 2 years in 1963.

At the end of his secondary studies, Morris carries out his military service in a unit of parachutists and finishes his instruction right before the Guerre the six day old. Its battalion is placed in reserve on the face of the Golan but does not take an active share with the war although several of its members, whose commander, are wounded by Syrian artillery shootings.

In 1969, it is wounded by an Egyptian shell whereas it is in garrison on Suez Canal. , he declared later. He is released 4 months before the end of his military service.

Benny Morris then carries out studies of history to the Hebraic Université of Jerusalem which it continues by a doctorate with the Université of bearing Cambridge on the Anglo-German relations.

On its return to Jerusalem, he works with the Jerusalem Post where it will remain during 12 years. He Marie and has 3 children.

It is during this period that it carries out during its spare time of research in the files of the Israeli government. It is interested initially in the Palmach, but the access to these files is withdrawn to him. It then is interested in the problem of the Palestinian Exode during the war of 1948. Following its research, it publishes In 1988 with the university Presses of Cambridge the work which will make it famous: The Birth off the Palestinian Refugee Problem . This work, dealing with extremely polemical subject, is recognized by its pars like a work of " precision and of detail bureaucratique".

In 1988, it increases its notoriety while refusing to carry out its period of reserve in the occupied territories and is imprisoned during 3 weeks. It is the 39e Israeli Refuznik. It had already been useful with reserve in 1982 at the time of the Guerre of Lebanon and first once in the occupied territories in 1986, but the first Intifada had not started yet at that time.

At its coming out of prison and following the reactions compared to its work, he invents the term of Nouveaux historians to name the historians who are rewriting the history of the origins of Israel like him such as Avi Shlaim and Ilan Pappé. The latter are attacked with virulence, shown Antisionisme and their methods compared with those of the negationnist S.

In 1990, when the Jerusalem Post is repurchased by Conrad Black who in exchange her leading line to make of it a spokesperson of the Likoud, Benny Morris forms " part; of the 35 journalists of gauche" with being laid off.

Between 1990 and 1995, it lives in precariousness as a historian freelance . To earn its living, it publishes new books: 1948 and After: Israel and the Palestinians (1990), Israel' S Secret Wars (1991), The Roots off Appeasement (1992), Israel' S To border Wars (1993).

It then plans to emigrate towards the the United States but the Israeli president Ezer Weizman convenes it and guarantees to him a university station. In 1997, it is named professor in the Department of Studies of the Middle East to the Université Ben Gourion of Negev to Beer-Sheva.

In 2005, it teaches at the University of Maryland, in the town of Park College to the the United States.

Publications

August 1st

Work analyzes

August 1st

Polemics

He declares Zionist.

In its work The Birth off the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited , it brings back being alternatively vilipandé like a propagandist of PLO, like a propagandist sophisticated Zionist and, more rarely, like a bad historian.

External bonds

Biography of Morris
Survival off the Fittest? Ein Interview put Benny Morris
Benny Morris und die Herrschaft of Fehlers von Efraim Karsh in: The Middle East Quarterly
Über die angebliche Kehrtwendung eines Teils DER israelkritischen Historiker, Historical and Investigative Research , 22. Critical Juni 2006.
of the analysis of Benny Morris on the exodus of 1948 per Joel Beinin, Professor d' Histoire of the Middle East in Universtisté de Stanford.

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